The Puerto Rico Horse Owners Association (PRHOA) has filed a federal lawsuit against Camarero Race Track and the rival horsemen’s group, Confederacion Hipica de Puerto Rico (CHPR), accusing them of conspiring to exclude PRHOA from receiving simulcasting revenue and coercing its members to join CHPR. The suit alleges that Camarero and CHPR’s actions violate the U.S. Constitution, the Interstate Horseracing Act, and Puerto Rico law by unlawfully applying a contract that requires horse owners to affiliate with CHPR to receive simulcast proceeds, despite PRHOA not being a party to that contract. PRHOA seeks injunctions to restore equitable revenue distribution and damages of at least $500,000.

This legal battle continues a long-standing dispute over regulatory and financial control of Puerto Rico’s horse racing industry. PRHOA contends that Camarero and CHPR’s conduct infringes on horse owners’ constitutional rights to freely associate and threatens to consolidate power under a single owners’ association. The lawsuit highlights ongoing tensions as Camarero recently notified PRHOA it would stop distributing simulcast proceeds to its members, prompting claims of arbitrary and unlawful exclusion designed to coerce membership in CHPR and monopolize industry control.